“Toto’s leadership is an embarrassment”- Fans SLAM Mercedes for not protesting Lewis Hamilton’s penalty at the Belgian GP

Toto Wolff has made it clear that Mercedes will not appeal against Lewis Hamilton's penalty.

“Toto’s leadership is an embarrassment”- Fans SLAM Mercedes for not protesting Lewis Hamilton’s penalty at the Belgian GP

Toto Wolff (image via GPFans), Lewis Hamilton (image via The Sun)

The Belgian GP F1 Sprint was full of action despite a major delay. However, it was not the best of sessions for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes after the 7-time world champion was penalized for a collision with Sergio Perez. The British driver dropped down to P7 after receiving a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with the Red Bull driver.

Now, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that the Silver Arrows will not protest against this penalty. The Austrian Billionaire told Sky Germany that Mercedes would not be appealing to the stewards despite the disappointment within the team. However, Wolff admitted it was a harsh penalty on Lewis Hamilton considering the conditions.

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Lewis Hamilton was battling for fourth place against Sergio Perez on Lap 6 when the two collided in the last sector of the track. Hamilton’s penalty forced him to P7 by the end of the race. While Perez had to retire the car because of the sustained damage. Although, it appears that Toto Wolff was not convinced that appealing the penalty would’ve worked for Mercedes

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Fans unhappy with Mercedes’ decision to not appeal Lewis Hamilton’s penalty

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez colliding during the Belgian GP F1 Sprint (Credits: @F1/Twitter)
Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez colliding during the Belgian GP F1 Sprint (Credits: @F1/Twitter)

Fans on Twitter were surprised by the comment of the Mercedes team boss. One user slammed the Austrian Billionaire for not protesting the decision. The user wrote, “Really, Toto’s leadership is an embarrassment.” While another user believed that the Silver Arrows had nothing to lose if they had tried to appeal the decision. The user replied, “Honestly. What’s he got to lose by protesting it? What a shame.”

Moreover, one fan was convinced that Wolff had put his commercial interests ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s interests in the sport. The fan commented, “It’s clearer by the day, Toto Wolf’s business interests sits above Lewis.” Another user was concerned with the decisions made by the Brackley-based team. The user asked, “Bro what is Mercedes doing?”

Thus, Mercedes will not protest against Lewis Hamilton’s penalty at the Belgian GP. The 7-time world champion claimed it was a racing incident from his point-of-view. However, it seems that Hamilton’s words were insufficient to convince Team Principal Toto Wolff as the Silver Arrows shift their focus on Sunday’s Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

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